1. Field of the Invention
The field of the present invention relates to powered hand-held tools. More particularly, the field of the present invention relates to portable electric tools, such as drills. The present invention has particular, although not exclusive, application to a light-weight, cordless, electric drill of the reversible type which may also be used as a power screwdriver.
2. The Prior Art
So-called cordless drills are known in the prior art. However, these cordless drills have met with only limited commercial success. This lack of commercial succes has resulted from the bulk and weight of these tools as well as their high cost. The bulk and weight of these tools has resulted primarily from the size of the motor and the size and complexity of the gear train between the motor and chuck. The foregoing factors have also contributed to the high cost of these tools. An additional factor adding to high cost is the labor involved in manufacturing these tools.
These prior art cordless drills have also been handicapped in that they have not provided a sufficiently high output torque. Another disadvantage of the prior drills relates to the speed at which they operate; such drills have been manufactured to operate at a relatively high speed making many operations impossible to achieve. For example, because of these speed characteristics, it has not been possible to operate these power drills as power screwdrivers.